1. Go to Menu > Configuration > Settings and complete as many of your settings you can.
2. Update your encryption password and then immediately update your administrator email and password.
3. If you plan to use the SMTP sending method first create at least one smtp server and then proceed with creating a Sender profile (Menu > Configuration > Smtp servers).
4. Go to Menu > Configuration > Sender profiles and create a Sender profile.
5. Some options in the Sender profile you can leave empty for now and complete later.
   • Welcome: required if you plan to use opt-in forms.
   • Confirmation-required (double opt-in): required if you plan to use double opt-in with your opt-in forms.
   • Goodbye (opt-out): required since you will probably use opt-out links in your campaigns.
   • Already subscribed: recommended for a better subscriber experience.
   • Subscriber account not found: recommended for a better subscriber experience.

• SMTP: you may use a remote (3rd party) smtp server like Amazon, MailGun, SendGrid etc or a locally installed one (supplied by your hosting company).
• SendMail uses the locally installed MTA as given in PHP settings.
• With Amazon SES, MailGun and SendGrid you may also use their API methods. Test and see what works better for you.

Sending in batches
• It is highly recommended to use batches whether you send manually or with cron.
• Sending in batches improves deliverability and eases the strain on the servers (database, web and mail servers).
• Batches help prevent server time-outs.
• Batches can help you conform with your Host's quotas (number of emails per hour/day). Consult with your Host or SMTP provider to find these quotas.

To test a sending method
Open / create an html newsletter, choose the Sender profile you want to test and send a copy directly from the editing form.

• A bounce server is a mailbox that collects the bounces (un-deliverable emails) resulting from your campaigns. When you process bounces you are in fact opening and reading this mailbox. So the settings you will use are what we call incoming mail settings.
• When to add a bounces server,
  When you plan to use the SMTP (your own or one provided by your Host), SendMail or Power-MTA sending methods.
• An smtp server can be tied to a bounce server. You will see this option in your smtp server settings. Different smtp servers may use the same bounce server.
• For SendMail and Power-MTA the bounce-to email (and server) are defined at the Sender profile settings.
• Do not create a bounces server if you plan to use Amazon SES, SendGrid, MailGun or Mailjet.
  Instead, you will use the dedicated webhooks for these methods as explained here.

What settings to use?
• For imap/secure connections use port 993 and connection flags /imap/ssl/novalidate-cert
• Common settings also work with ports 110 or 143 and for connection flags /pop3/notls
• For "Options" always use OP_SILENT unless specifically instructed otherwise.
• Gmail: port 993, server imap.gmail.com, connection flags /imap/ssl/novalidate-cert
• The Return-path is usually the same as the Pop3/Imap email/username. Without a Return-path this bounce server is not included in the processing.
• Important: in order to process the bounced emails do not download them from the server without leaving a copy at the server. They must be at the server so that the bounce manager can find them and process them.

Here is the complete list of cron jobs that you can create. Most are optional depending on whether you plan to use a specific feature.

1. Regular campaigns. Every 3-5 minutes.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_start.php?ApiKey_c
2. Autoresponders. Every 5 minutes exactly.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_start.php?ApiKey_r
3. Multi-threaded campaigns (plugin required). Every 5-10 minutes depending on the number of threads you use and the load you want to process.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_startQ.php?ApiKey
4. Bounces processing. Every 10 minutes.
   This is required for all sending methods except when using Amazon SES, MailGun, SendGrid. Mailjet.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_bmProcessCron.php?ApiKey
5. Trigger emails. Every 5 or more minutes.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_sendTr.php?ApiKey
6. List un-subscribe header & Opt-out by email. Every 10 or more minutes.
   The following cron job will process the mailbox in case the opt-outs resulting from the list-unsubscribe header return as emails.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_listUnsubProcess.php?ApiKey
7. Birthday reminder emails sent to you as administrator. Once or twice per day.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_birthdayReminder.php?ApiKey
8. Opt-in by email (plugin required). Every 2-5 times per hour depending on the expected volume.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_optInByEmail.php?ApiKey
9. Reset daily campaign limit. Once a day when you want the reset to happen. Usually just before midnight.
   curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_reset.php?ApiKey
10. Data sources synchronization (plugin required). Whenever you want to synchronize your external database connections and update your lists.
    curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_sync.php?ApiKey
11. Feedback loop processing (plugin required). A few times per day depending on the volume.
    curl -l -s https://www.yoursite.tld/admin/_fbl.php?ApiKey

• The "List-Unsubscribe" header is optional. This header appends an email address where one can reply and opt-out and/or a direct opt-out link. The ESP decides what to use.
• This is not a substitute method for unsubscribing. You should always include the normal opt-out links in your newsletters.
• If the email provider displays the opt-out link and the subscriber clicks it then it will function exactly as the opt-out link (global or list opt-out depending on what you choose).
• If it shows an email address then the provider will send an email to this address. Therefore you must "process" this mailbox like you do with the bounces mailbox.
• You must set-up cron job #6 to process these emails as explained here.

Opt-out by email
• Using the above logic and the same process a subscriber can opt-out by sending an email to your "List-Unsubscribe" email account with the word STOP in the subject. Like this: Example.
• mailto:list-un-sub@mydomain.com?subject=STOP
• You can use the opt-out by email feature without using the "List-Unsubscribe" header.
• But you must set-up the "List-Unsubscribe" mailbox and the cron job so that you can process these unsubscribe emails.
• Using opt-out links in your newsletters is always the best and most direct method.
  But there are cases that you send emails or newsletters outside evoMailer. In these cases the opt-out by email is a great trick to use.

Using a tracking domain is optional yet handy in some specific cases.
It enables you to have all newsletter/campaign links pointing to a different domain from the one evoMailer is installed.

For example,
• Installation domain is mailer.domain.tld
• Tracking domain is mailer.website.tld
• You then create an A (DNS) record at mailer.website.tld that points to mailer.domain.tld.

This helps in cases where the installation domain is blocked and also when sending a campaign on behalf of another website (or client).
In this case you will also create new Sender profile to use with these campaigns.

• Give "write permissions" / chmod755 (or chmod777 in rare cases) to these folders: assets, attachments, data_files.
• To test your directory permissions create an html newsletter and try the integrated upload utilities.
• Assets is where your images and html templates are uploaded.
• Attachments is where newsletter attachments are uploaded.
• The data_files directory contains csv files that you upload (for importing) and export (lists, statistics etc).

Plugin required
• Opt-in emails are defined specifically for each mailing list. You will find this option in the page where you edit your list.
• Your subscriber sends an email to this account and he is subscribed.
• These email accounts should be from the same domain and use the same password as your "List un-subscribe header".
• This does not mean that you have to activate the "List un-subscribe header". They simply use the same settings.
• You should not download these emails to your email client (but if you want to, then leave also a copy at the server).
• You must also set-up cron job #8 to process these mailboxes.

If you have a problem and can't find the answer here please visit our web site and open a support ticket here.